Attribution: The cognitive process of explaining the causes of behavior, whether our own or others’ (see section 1). It involves assigning internal or external causes to observed actions.
Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency to overemphasize personality or dispositional factors and underestimate situational influences when explaining others’ behavior (Ross (1977)). For example, assuming someone is rude for cutting in line without considering external factors like urgency.
Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors (like ability) and failures to external factors (like luck or task difficulty) (see section 2). For example, claiming credit for a promotion but blaming a poor performance on unfair evaluation.
Correspondent Inference Theory: The idea that people infer that a person's behavior corresponds to their personality traits, especially when the behavior is freely chosen, unusual, or has a high degree of personal effort (not explicitly in source but relevant to attribution).
1. What does Attribution Theory primarily explain?
2. Who is the author and what is the year associated with the concept of the Fundamental Attribution Error?
3. What is the primary role or purpose of the Self-Serving Bias in social cognition?
Attribution — definition?
Explaining causes of behavior.
Fundamental Attribution Error — role?
Overemphasizes personality, underestimates situation.
Self-Serving Bias — function?
Protects self-esteem by attributing successes internally.
Bystander Effect — phenomenon?
Less helping as witnesses increase.
Diffusion of Responsibility — mechanism?
Responsibility shared reduces individual obligation.
Altruism — definition?
Selfless helping without expectation of reward.
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